Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens
Encyclopedia
The Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens is one of the oldest zoo
logical and botanical
centres in the world. It occupies an area of 5.6 hectares at Mid-levels
, on the northern slope of Victoria Peak
in Hong Kong
. Founded in 1871, its first stage had been opened to the public in 1864.
Similar to Hong Kong Park
, Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens provides a natural environment and atmosphere in Central District
. It is bigger than Hong Kong Park and contains more plants, birds and facilities.
of the first two syllables of the word botanical. In the old days, many lovers liked to go there on a date.
, is a memorial arch dedicated to the Chinese who died assisting the Allies during the two World Wars. The inscription on the lintel reads: "In Memory of the Chinese who died loyal to the Allied cause in the Wars of 1914-1918 and 1939-1945". The granite arch in the shape of a paifang
was erected in 1928. Reference to the Second World War was added later.
A bronze statue of King George VI
was erected in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of British colonial rule
over Hong Kong (1841–1941).
There are more than 1,000 species of plants in the gardens, mostly indigenous to tropical and sub-tropical regions. It includes some rare species like the Dawn Redwood and the local Ailanthus
. Besides these, some species which can produce flowers throughout the year can also be found there, like the Hong Kong Orchid Tree.
Different Species are grown in the Thematic gardens in the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens.
Crapnell's Camellia (Camellia crapnelliana), Grantham's Camellia (Camellia granthamiana) and Hong Kong Camellia (Camellia hongkongensis) are native to Hong Kong.
Some introduced rare species such as Yunnan Camellia (Camellia reticulata
) and Golden Camellia (Camellia nitidissima & Camellia euphlebia
) can also be found in this garden.
:
.
), Purple Camel's Foot (Bauhinia purpurea
) and Camel's Foot Tree (Bauhinia variegata
).
species including Red Azalea (Rhododendron simsii), Lovely Azalea (Rhododendron pulchrum), Purple Azalea (Rhododendron pulchrum var. phoeniceum) and White Azalea (Rhododendron mucronatum), those are native to Hong Kong. There are also rare species such as Yellow Azalea (Rhododendron x molle) and Westland's Rhododendron (Rhododendron moulmainense).
s, Bromeliads, Vine
s and Carnivorous Plants are grown in the Greenhouse.
species such as elephants or giraffes. Nevertheless the collection of primates is varied, including such diverse creatures as the Golden Lion Tamarin
, orangutan
and Ring-tailed Lemur
. The reptiles are primarily snakes and turtles such as the Malaysian Giant Turtle, Chinese Alligator
, and Burmese Python
.
, Flamingo
and Peacock Pheasant.The small brick buildings that house some of the smaller birds were once staff quarters for Chinese workers at the park. These were recently renovated, resulting in the destruction of a row of disused Victorian gas lamp posts, probably the last remaining such row in Hong Kong, and possibly in East Asia.
.
Zoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
logical and botanical
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
centres in the world. It occupies an area of 5.6 hectares at Mid-levels
Mid-levels
Mid-levels is an expensive residential area on Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It is located halfway up Victoria Peak, directly above Central...
, on the northern slope of Victoria Peak
Victoria Peak
Victoria Peak is a mountain in Hong Kong. It is also known as Mount Austin, and locally as The Peak. The mountain is located in the western half of Hong Kong Island...
in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. Founded in 1871, its first stage had been opened to the public in 1864.
Similar to Hong Kong Park
Hong Kong Park
The Hong Kong Park is a public park next to Cotton Tree Drive in Central, Hong Kong. Built at a cost of HK$398 million and opened in May 1991, it covers an area of 80,000 m² and is an example of modern design and facilities blending with natural landscape....
, Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens provides a natural environment and atmosphere in Central District
Central, Hong Kong
Central is the central business district of Hong Kong. It is located in Central and Western District, on the north shore of Hong Kong Island, across Victoria Harbour from Tsim Sha Tsui, the southernmost point of Kowloon Peninsula...
. It is bigger than Hong Kong Park and contains more plants, birds and facilities.
History
The park was previously named Bing Tau Fa Yuen (「兵頭花園」). "Bing Tau" literally means "the head of the soldiers" or the "Commander-in-Chief". Some said it was named such way by the Chinese because it was once the private garden of the governor. Other said Bing Tau was just the phonetic transliterationTransliteration
Transliteration is a subset of the science of hermeneutics. It is a form of translation, and is the practice of converting a text from one script into another...
of the first two syllables of the word botanical. In the old days, many lovers liked to go there on a date.
Memorials
At the southern entrance to the gardens, at Upper Albert RoadUpper Albert Road
Upper Albert Road is a road on Government Hill in the Central District of Hong Kong.Surrounding Government House, the residence of former Governors of Hong Kong and present Chief Executive of Hong Kong, the road is used as a destination for various protests which sometimes results in traffic...
, is a memorial arch dedicated to the Chinese who died assisting the Allies during the two World Wars. The inscription on the lintel reads: "In Memory of the Chinese who died loyal to the Allied cause in the Wars of 1914-1918 and 1939-1945". The granite arch in the shape of a paifang
Paifang
Paifang, also called pailou, is a traditional Chinese architectural gating style as an archway.The word paifang originally was a collective term used to describe the top two levels of administrative division and subdivisions of ancient Chinese city. The largest division within a city in ancient...
was erected in 1928. Reference to the Second World War was added later.
A bronze statue of King George VI
George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
was erected in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of British colonial rule
British Hong Kong
British Hong Kong refers to Hong Kong as a Crown colony and later, a British dependent territory under British administration from 1841 to 1997.- Colonial establishment :...
over Hong Kong (1841–1941).
Plants
Ailanthus
Ailanthus is a genus of trees belonging to the family Simaroubaceae, in the order Sapindales . The genus is native from east Asia south to northern Australasia....
. Besides these, some species which can produce flowers throughout the year can also be found there, like the Hong Kong Orchid Tree.
Different Species are grown in the Thematic gardens in the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens.
Camellia Garden
More than 30 species are grown in this garden.Crapnell's Camellia (Camellia crapnelliana), Grantham's Camellia (Camellia granthamiana) and Hong Kong Camellia (Camellia hongkongensis) are native to Hong Kong.
Some introduced rare species such as Yunnan Camellia (Camellia reticulata
Camellia reticulata
Camellia reticulata is a species of Camellia native to southwestern China, in Yunnan Province. The wild populations are restricted to mixed mountain forest in western and central Yunnan....
) and Golden Camellia (Camellia nitidissima & Camellia euphlebia
Camellia euphlebia
Camellia euphlebia is a species of plant in the Theaceae family. It is found in China and Vietnam. It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:* World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. . Downloaded on 21 August 2007....
) can also be found in this garden.
Magnolia Garden
This garden grows 5 species of MagnoliaMagnolia
Magnolia is a large genus of about 210 flowering plant species in the subfamily Magnolioideae of the family Magnoliaceae. It is named after French botanist Pierre Magnol....
:
- Chinese Magnolia (Magnolia coco)
- Yulan (Magnolia denudata)
- Purple Magnolia (Magnolia liliiflora)
- Saucer Magnolia (Magnolia × soulangeanaMagnolia × soulangeanaMagnolia × soulangeana is a hybrid plant in the genus Magnolia and family Magnoliaceae. It is a deciduous tree with large, early-blooming flowers in various shades of white, pink, and purple...
) - Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora).
Palm Garden
This garden grows over 30 species under 22 genera of the Palm familyArecaceae
Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...
.
Bauhinia Garden
This garden grows 8 species including Hong Kong Orchid Tree (Bauhinia blakeanaBauhinia blakeana
Bauhinia blakeana is an orchid tree of the genus Bauhinia with large thick leaves and striking purplish red flowers. The fragrant, orchid-like flowers are usually across, and bloom from early November to the end of March...
), Purple Camel's Foot (Bauhinia purpurea
Bauhinia purpurea
Bauhinia purpurea is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to South China and Southeast Asia. Common names include Hong Kong Orchid Tree, Purple camel's foot, and Hawaiian orchid tree.-Description:...
) and Camel's Foot Tree (Bauhinia variegata
Bauhinia variegata
Bauhinia variegata is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to southeastern Asia, from southern China west to Pakistan and India. Common names include Orchid tree, Camel's Foot Tree and Mountain-ebony...
).
Azalea Garden
This garden grows over 10 AzaleaAzalea
Azaleas are flowering shrubs comprising two of the eight subgenera of the genus Rhododendron, Pentanthera and Tsutsuji . Azaleas bloom in spring, their flowers often lasting several weeks...
species including Red Azalea (Rhododendron simsii), Lovely Azalea (Rhododendron pulchrum), Purple Azalea (Rhododendron pulchrum var. phoeniceum) and White Azalea (Rhododendron mucronatum), those are native to Hong Kong. There are also rare species such as Yellow Azalea (Rhododendron x molle) and Westland's Rhododendron (Rhododendron moulmainense).
Greenhouse
Various species of Orchids, FernFern
A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
s, Bromeliads, Vine
Vine
A vine in the narrowest sense is the grapevine , but more generally it can refer to any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent, that is to say climbing, stems or runners...
s and Carnivorous Plants are grown in the Greenhouse.
Animals
Apart from the plants, there are over 600 birds, 70 mammals and 40 reptiles, including many different species.Mammals & Reptiles
The size of the Garden precludes the keeping of very large MammalMammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
species such as elephants or giraffes. Nevertheless the collection of primates is varied, including such diverse creatures as the Golden Lion Tamarin
Golden Lion Tamarin
The golden lion tamarin also known as the golden marmoset, is a small New World monkey of the family Callitrichidae...
, orangutan
Orangutan
Orangutans are the only exclusively Asian genus of extant great ape. The largest living arboreal animals, they have proportionally longer arms than the other, more terrestrial, great apes. They are among the most intelligent primates and use a variety of sophisticated tools, also making sleeping...
and Ring-tailed Lemur
Ring-tailed Lemur
The ring-tailed lemur is a large strepsirrhine primate and the most recognized lemur due to its long, black and white ringed tail. It belongs to Lemuridae, one of five lemur families. It is the only member of the Lemur genus. Like all lemurs it is endemic to the island of Madagascar...
. The reptiles are primarily snakes and turtles such as the Malaysian Giant Turtle, Chinese Alligator
Chinese Alligator
The Chinese alligator or Alligator Alligator sinensis) is one of two known living species of Alligator, a genus in the family Alligatoridae. The Chinese alligator is native only to China...
, and Burmese Python
Burmese Python
The Burmese Python is the largest subspecies of the Indian Python and one of the 6 largest snakes in the world, native to a large variation of tropic and subtropic areas of Southern- and Southeast Asia. They are often found near water and are sometimes semi-aquatic, but can also be found in trees...
.
Birds
Birds include the Red-crowned CraneRed-crowned Crane
The Red-crowned Crane , also called the Japanese Crane or Manchurian Crane , is a large east Asian crane and among the rarest cranes in the world...
, Flamingo
Flamingo
Flamingos or flamingoes are gregarious wading birds in the genus Phoenicopterus , the only genus in the family Phoenicopteridae...
and Peacock Pheasant.The small brick buildings that house some of the smaller birds were once staff quarters for Chinese workers at the park. These were recently renovated, resulting in the destruction of a row of disused Victorian gas lamp posts, probably the last remaining such row in Hong Kong, and possibly in East Asia.
Transport
All parts of the Garden are free to the public. The main entrance is located at Upper Albert RoadUpper Albert Road
Upper Albert Road is a road on Government Hill in the Central District of Hong Kong.Surrounding Government House, the residence of former Governors of Hong Kong and present Chief Executive of Hong Kong, the road is used as a destination for various protests which sometimes results in traffic...
.
See also
- List of urban public parks and gardens of Hong Kong
- King George V Memorial Park, Hong KongKing George V Memorial Park, Hong KongKing George V Memorial Park, Hong Kong is an urban park in Sai Ying Pun and one of the few parks in Hong Kong bearing the former colonial links to the territory's past....
- Central and Western Heritage TrailCentral and Western Heritage TrailThe Central and Western Heritage Trail is a Heritage Trail in Hong Kong, that was designed by the Antiquities and Monuments Office of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.It covers the Central and Western District of Hong Kong and consists of 3 parts:...